


Rite of Passage

by LegitFanficHours



Category: Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Genre: Highschool AU, M/M, Modern Setting, beyblade - Freeform, student council au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22604218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegitFanficHours/pseuds/LegitFanficHours
Summary: Jack and Ralph's relationship told in three parts.
Relationships: Jack Merridew/Ralph
Comments: 1
Kudos: 39





	Rite of Passage

**Author's Note:**

> This will likely only make sense to exactly one person! For context: Jack and Ralph are both competing to be student council president (mirroring the seperate tribe dynamic in canon lotf)

The air was slightly damp. All around them was the seemingly ever-present chatter of their friends. Ralph felt his chest tighten as Jack leaned towards him.

At that moment, the closet felt too small. Constraining every breath he took. The jeers of those outside continued. Bright blue light slipped through the crack under the door, filling the space with a hazy glow. The smell of watered-down beer and marijuana. His heart threatening to escape his chest.

It felt almost dreamlike.

Jack’s unruly red hair was scarlet in the darkness of the closet, like rust and blood. His hands were searching the space, finding the wall easily before letting out a sigh. Ralph didn’t dare breathe.

But of course, the infamous Merridew wouldn’t make it easy for him.

"Fuck this," Jack groaned, ripping off the blindfold.

He swept his fingers through his hair, frowning slightly at the sight of Ralph. Annoyed but not surprised by his friends' choice.

Ralph's eyes widened. "That's against the rules-"

"Against the rules," he repeated mockingly. "You spend too much time with Piggy."

"Jack-"

The name tasted bitter. Jack- opponent, friend? None of those words seemed to define their relationship accurately. The ones that came close were the ones he refused to acknowledge. Ralph preferred a nightmare where their roles didn't matter as much as the fire behind their words. A nightmare where the game they indulged in served as an eternal distraction.

The redhead's gaze lingered on his arm. Finding the target, a confession in the form of a white cloth, tied loosely around Ralph's wrist.

Jack snatched the blindfold, his smile was sharp. "Not to mention, you cheated as well."

Ralph stumbled back, the intensity of his burning blue eyes taking him aback. Jack, taking it as a moment of weakness, pressed forward.

Narrowing his eyes, Ralph ignored the warmth in his cheeks. He wouldn't let Jack win this one.

"Let's call it even then," he replied, his voice was shaking.

Thinking of everyone beyond the door, the dare, his honor on the line, he grabbed Jack's shirt and kissed him harshly.

Then before he could say anything stupid, before his feelings burst forward, Ralph opened the door. He couldn't- wouldn't look back to see Jack's expression.

Later, he would touch his lips as he lay in bed. Staring in the dark. Head spinning with unbidden thoughts.

-

It started with a bus ride and seats no one was happy about.

"I-" Jack tried to interject.

Onlookers giggled at their plight. The teacher didn't relent, her stern expression was seemingly a permanent fixture. Her silhouette made her a bold mark against the cement.

"I could care less about your little play campaign," she reiterated. "These are the assigned seats, no more arguing. Or else."

Jack complied reluctantly. His scowl made those in neighboring seats flinch, somewhere in the back Maurice was howling with laughter. Simon offered Ralph a pitying smile.

“‘Or else’…” the redhead muttered under his breath as he threw his bag under the seat. “Like this is an anime… weeb bullshit.”

Jack took his seat and feigned surprise at seeing Ralph. “The next president of the student council? It’s truly an honor.”

“Shut- cut it out,” he snapped, his voice coming out a tad louder than he anticipated.

Leaning back, Jack’s frown pulled into a pleasant smile. “Shut up? Not very professional of you, eh?”

“Says the one who used Maurice like a bloody CIA spy.”

“It was your choice to trust him mate,” he shrugged. “That’s hardly anything special- But since we’re on the topic. Would you say rigging someone’s phone is professional-?”

“You’ve got no evidence of that,” Ralph cut in.

“Deflection. How very presidential of you,” Jack replied dryly.

Sighing, he sunk back. Without realizing it, Ralph has been steadily scooting to the edge of his seat while his opponent maintained his unaffected position. He had to be more careful.

There was always an edge to Jack’s words, as soon as the campaigns began. No matter how amicable things appeared to be, there was an undercurrent of something vicious. The iconic Merridew brand hatred in condensed form. 

Every time Ralph thought he could catch his breath, Jack would come back with a biting remark, another attempt to undermine his campaign, or a simple glare. An unstoppable, endlessly petty tornado in the form of a ginger with too much time on his hands.

The bus ride felt like an eternity, texting Simon and Piggy got tiring after the fourth semi-philosophical quote from the former and the tenth rambly text from the latter. How Piggy managed to text so quickly was a mystery.

The warm sunlight filtering through the dusty old bus windows was welcome after the dull lights of the classroom. After the initial excitement of the trip had worn off, the class was nearly silent. Busy listening to music or dozing off.

Ralph hummed softly, feeling the cumulative stress of the campaigns and school weight on him all at once. It was so comfortable to just relax for once, he closed his eyes. Blinking slowly as the world faded to black.

The bus came to a stumbling halt, it felt like no time had passed. Ralph shuddered awake, rubbing his eyes as he watched everyone slowly shift out the door.

Jack was blushing when he let Ralph pass through, a rare thing. Maurice shoved his way to them and produced a picture from his pocket. A mischievous gleam in his eyes.

A picture of the two of them sleeping, Ralph's head propped up on Jack's shoulder.

"Gimme that," Jack said, snatching the tiny photo.

"Pocket hose, Polaroid camera, what's next? A snake? A whole Beyblade stadium?" Ralph laughed.

Maurice smiled. "Who knows?"

"Cryptic fuck," Jack murmured.

The rest of the trip progressed without much drama for once. The only particular thing Ralph noticed was Jack slipping the photo into his bag with a strange expression.

Something soft, unexpected from Merridew.

It could almost be described as fond.

-

The cold night air swept across the dorm hallway, there was cheering from the student council building. It wasn't a long walk, but Ralph took his time as he found his way to his dorm. The post-victory buzz was starting to wear off, but the party would continue nevertheless.

Almost everyone was celebrating, even those from Jack's team, caught up in the fervor. The only one missing was the boy himself.

Like Polaris in the evening light, Jack was perched on the window at the end of the main hall. Overlooking the entire campus. His red hair dimly lit with the white of his phone. With his back turned away, he seemed so vulnerable.

"Jack."

"Ralph Madison," he replied, his voice was steady. "Here to gloat?"

Taking another step forward. "No, I just wanted to make sure-"

"Make sure I'm alright? How honorable of you."

Getting too caught up with the atmosphere was a mistake. Jack replied in the same way he always did, maybe it was foolish of Ralph to believe things would be different.

Ralph stopped. "Why do you hate me?"

Hesitation. "The same reason you hate me."

"But I don't hate you."

Jack was silent, deliberating.

"At first I thought there was no chance" Jack sighed. "No way in hell some nobody with superficial charm could win."

He turned around, his eyes dimmed into a slate grey. An uneasy attempt at a smile plastered across his face. That was the moment Ralph realized he may have been right the first time.

"At first… at first…" he repeated before trailing off. "But now… I suppose you proved me wrong."

"Jack…"

He rocked back in fourth, his legs half dangling off into the dark void beneath the window. "You know what the worst part is? I understand why. It all makes sense, too much sense."

Ralph didn't realize he was walking until he was standing next to Jack, so close he could hear the boy's heartbeat. Or- was it his own?

"You were jealous?" He asked kindly.

Jack shook his head, refusing to meet Ralph's eyes. "That's not it… I just wanted-"

"To win."

"But because it was you," Jack said, a note of finality in his voice.

Ralph felt heat rush to his cheeks. He wasn't sure if it was anger or-

Jack smiled bitterly, unflinching as he finally met his eyes. "Because you aren't a superficial, charming figurehead. Because… because it was a fair fight and I lost."

His eyes seemed to glow with the cast of the starlight. Ralph leaned forward, brushing away his maroon hair. Jack didn't move away, instead, he turned completely red.

Ralph laughed. "I may have won the election but I lost in the only thing that matters."

Jack smirked, making him wonder how much of what he said was a lie. How much was for this flag of surrender.

But they still held each other, closing the gap between them with a kiss. And Ralph could close his eyes and convince himself this was love.

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to newchips_samesalsa for the setting/au!


End file.
